Cycle News

Cycle News 2021 Issue 03 January 19

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1330864

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2021 KTM 450 SMR R I D E R E V I E W P66 T he first time I tried supermoto in the summer of 2015, I was rather mad at myself. I had been riding motorcycles for 31 years at that point, and never thought to try this brand of competition for myself. It was like a smack in the face with a cold fish. I fell instantly, deeply, in love with supermoto and everything it had to offer. I immediately built a series of Suzuki RM- Z450 project bikes, and in 2019, I took the plunge and bought the Husqvarna FS 450. I love that machine almost as much as my own son, but, if I'm honest, I've had thoughts of moving it on and replacing it with the bike you see here, the $11,299 2021 KTM 450 SMR. KTM lays more claim to the groundwork of the sport of supermoto than almost any company on the planet. Back in the 1990s, when supermoto as we know it today was in its infancy, KTM had all manner of street- and track-focused supermotos you could buy and dominated the ultra-competitive racetracks of Europe, America and Austra- lia with their big single-cylinder thumpers. Sliding BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK Supermoto is the perfect mix of pretty much every form of motorcycle racing, and KTM may have just released the perfect motorcycle on which to do it I NTO 2021 L IKEā€¦

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